Guwahati, February 20: Launching a sharp attack on the BJP government in election-bound Assam, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday released a 20-point “People’s Chargesheet” accusing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of institutionalising a “syndicate raj,” fostering corruption and presiding over economic mismanagement.
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| Congress leaders led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra release a 20-point “People’s Chargesheet” against the BJP government in Guwahati, Assam. (Image: X@INCAssam) |
The chargesheet was unveiled at a programme in Guwahati during Gandhi’s two-day visit to the state. Senior Congress leaders, including Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, AICC Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi were present.
Addressing the gathering, Gandhi alleged that the Sarma-led government had created a corruption-driven parallel economy centred in Dispur. She claimed that the Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs had accumulated illegal assets in their own names and those of family members.
The document accused the government of encouraging illegal activities such as rat-hole mining and turning Assam into a corridor for the transportation of banned goods and drugs. It further alleged a syndicate-controlled system that collects commissions on goods entering and leaving the state, covering commodities such as timber, sand, coal, betel nut and livestock.
Among other issues raised were repeated state borrowings despite warnings from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), failure to grant Scheduled Tribe status to six communities, alleged eviction of indigenous people in favour of corporate interests, non-implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, and stalling of the NRC process.
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The chargesheet also accused the government of failing to deliver on the promised ₹351 daily wage for tea garden workers, neglecting flood and erosion concerns, weakening public education, suppressing media freedom and resorting to “bulldozer justice.”
Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi said the document was prepared after statewide consultations by five teams that gathered inputs from grassroots organisations, indigenous bodies, business communities and intellectuals.
The BJP has not yet formally responded to the allegations. The chargesheet comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the upcoming Assam Assembly elections.
